It's an extra special year for the Hay Creek Festival.

The 50th annual Hay Creek Festival will run from Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 13, at Historic Joanna Furnace, 1250 Furnace Road, Morgantown.

"It's a major milestone for us," said Mark Zerr, executive director of the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (HCVHA), which presents the event. "We knew it was going to be the 250th anniversary of the country (this year), so we figured that it couldn't be a more appropriate way to celebrate our birthday with the country at the same time."

Organizers, volunteers, craftsmen and nearly 800 living history interpreters are busy finalizing plans for the annual event, which began in 1976.

Highlights of this year's event will include exhibits and demonstrations of traditional early American crafts, a contemporary craft market, living history presentations and antique vehicles.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on each day; parking is free on the festival grounds on Friday. Free, continuously running shuttle buses will be provided from an offsite parking area from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. An admission fee is charged for the festival, although children age 5 and under get in free.

Special for this year's event, there will a time capsule celebration at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The time capsule was presented to the HCVHA by the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and will be filled with a variety of new and old artifacts for a future generation to discover.

"This is going to be the first time capsule ceremony that we've ever done," said Zerr, who added that there's no set plan for when the organization will open the capsule. "We figure we'll leave that for a future generation to dig up. Maybe they'll wait another 50 years, or maybe they'll wait another 100 years."

There will be a Civil War encampment, demonstrating how soldiers lived and trained in the mid-19th century. This year, re-enactors from the Army of the Rappahannock Reenactors Association and the 22nd North Carolina Infantry Unit will be at the festival. Visitors can interact with these Civil War era soldiers and civilian re-enactors to learn more about that epic 19th-century time. Re-enactors will also have rifle and cannon firing demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday at the festival.

Visitors can also tour the 18th and 19th century Joanna Furnace ironmaking complex. Hay Creek interpreters will give various presentations and demonstrations during the weekend in the Blacksmith Shop, Wheelwright Shop, Office/Store, Charcoal Storage Barn & Museum and the Casting House. A new exhibit, curated by the anthropology & archaeology department at Kutztown University, will be featured in the Blowing Engine House this year, where visitors will learn about the Joanna Furnace hot-blast system, which was installed in 1888.

"They really uncovered the corners of the mansion that they did on one side," Zerr said of the Kutztown team. "This display is going to be seen for the first time in September. ... Visitors are welcome to check out the display that will be offered."

A variety of entertainment will take place on the main stage throughout the entire weekend. Festival favorite Marion Gehman & Friends will perform her ventriloquist act on Friday. Magician David Darwin will once again perform on Friday and Saturday at the festival. David, a past contestant on NBC's "Americas Got Talent," will perform everything from death-defying stunts to clean comedy and juggling. The featured musical group on Sunday is Valley Vision from Reading. They will perform Americana, roots and rock music. In addition, the Hay Creek Gold Band will also perform folk/bluegrass music at the festival all three days.

Two car clubs will also be present at the event: the Draggin' Wagons Car Club and the Mohnton Car Club. There will be a vehicle parade each day of the festival at 1 p.m. Preregistration for the parades is not required, although it is encouraged.

To help celebrate the organization's 50th birthday, the Hay Creek Festival will be hosting a swing dance band on Saturday evening. The M&J Big Band of Pottstown will honor the timeless tunes and rhythm of the Swing-Era big band and perform from 7 to 10 p.m. A special ticket for this Saturday evening event is necessary to attend. Tickets can be obtained at http://www.haycreek.org or at the gate for a slightly higher fee.

Friday is designated "Student Day" at the Hay Creek Festival. In past years, as many as 1,000 students have taken advantage of Student Day activities and attended on a single Friday. Public school, private school and home school groups and co-ops are invited to participate in this fun, learning historic experience. The Student Day registration form can be downloaded from the aforementioned website. Non-students are still more than welcome to attend on Friday.

Prepared and served by volunteers from community nonprofit organizations, plenty of food will be available throughout the weekend, including hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken potpie, desserts and more. Craft beer and honey wine will also be for sale.

"One of the things our event has always been known for has been our food," Zerr said. "In 50 years, we have probably sold over a half million dollars worth of soup."

The HCVHA's Joanna Furnace site is located three miles north of Morgantown on Route 10, with close access to both the Pennsylvania Turnpike Morgantown Interchange 298 and I-176.